Shloka 9
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
तद् बल प्रद्गुतं दृष्ट॒वा पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव । पुरस्कृत्य रणे भीष्म सर्वसैन्यपुरस्कृत:
tad bala-pradrutam dṛṣṭvā putro duryodhanas tava | puraskṛtya raṇe bhīṣmaṁ sarva-sainya-puraskṛtaḥ ||
Sañjaya sagte: Als er sah, wie jenes Heer in Unordnung geriet und floh, stürmte dein Sohn Duryodhana—Bhiṣma an die Spitze der Schlacht stellend und mit dem ganzen Heer vorrückend—mit großer Anstrengung gegen Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) an. O Herr der Menschen, das Ziel dieses Angriffs war es, das Leben des Königs der Trigartas zu schützen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma as understood by warriors: leadership is shown by rallying a routed force, placing an experienced commander (Bhīṣma) at the front, and acting to protect an ally’s life—yet it also implicitly shows how strategic necessity can drive aggressive action.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, seeing his troops in flight, Duryodhana reorganizes the Kaurava host with Bhīṣma leading and launches a determined assault on Arjuna, chiefly to save the Trigarta king (Susarman) from danger.